Forgive And Forget
by ToTheJourney2014
Summary: Shane Walsh had a secret before the dead started coming back to life. It was one that he had never told anyone. It was one he thought had buried itself when the world fell apart. Now it's come back with a vengeance that he's not sure he's ready for.
1. Chapter 1

Shane Walsh sighed to himself as he watched Lori Grimes with her husband, Rick, and their son, Carl. The three of them looked so happy together. It was all he could do not to scream out in his frustration. He couldn't understand how Lori could be so blind. He wanted to shake her until she realized that she should be with him and not with Rick. Any fool could see the truth about the situation. He would be a much better husband to her, even a better father to Carl.

Shane growled, shaking his head and trying to get himself to stop focusing so hard on Lori. He knew she wasn't really the one he wanted. There had only ever been one woman he loved, and he had lost her years before. He wiped at his face and looked around to make sure that no one else was paying any attention to him before he gave in to the memories that wanted to overwhelm his thoughts.

_Sarah Hurst walked up to Shane Walsh's locker after school, doing her best to keep her tears out of her eyes and her voice. She smiled when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close for a tender kiss, relishing his embrace before slowly pushing herself back so she could look into his eyes. "Shane, we need to talk." She looked around. "Alone."_

_Shane nodded and took Sarah's hand in his, pulling her into an empty classroom. "What's going on, Sarah? Has something happened to your parents?"_

_Sarah sighed and shook her head. "No." She bit her lower lip, not quite able to look Shane in the eyes. "My dad got transferred. My parents have apparently known about it for a while now, but they just told me about it this morning." She couldn't stop the tears as she finally looked up into his eyes. "We leave tomorrow!"_

_Shane pulled Sarah back into his arms and held her tight, kissing the top of her head. "Then we'll just have to make sure tonight is as memorable as possible. We're going to do everything you've always wanted to do," he whispered against her hair, promising her._

_"__The only thing I want to do is make love to you," Sarah whispered back. She smiled a little as she pulled to kiss Shane softly. "I know I said I wanted to wait, but we're out of time. I don't want to spend the rest of my life knowing I missed my chance to be with the only one I'll ever love."_

Shane tried to pull himself back to the present, but his memories refused to let him go. He hadn't let memories of Sarah come to him in months, probably years. They were too painful, but they wouldn't stop now that they had started. He closed his eyes as he remembered the last time he had seen her.

_Deputy Shane Walsh took a drink of his coffee as he watched his partner, Deputy Rick Grimes, walk into the back of the diner toward the restrooms. He and Rick had been best friends since the two of them had been children and had become partners when they had both graduated from the police academy eighteen months before. His eyes had just the hint of a shadow of sadness to them as he turned his attention back toward the menu he had been looking at. Sarah Hurst was never far from his mind. It had been almost three years to the day since the day she had told him her family was leaving town._

_"__Are you ready to order, or would you rather wait for your partner to come back?" Sarah Hurst inquired as she stepped up to the booth where her newest customers had chosen to sit. She made a note on her pad about the coffee they were both drinking before looking at the man for the first time. She hadn't really paid much attention to either of the deputies when she had taken their coffee order. Now, she gasped in shock as she stared at him. "Shane Walsh? Is it really you?"_

_Shane forced a charming grin onto his face as he glanced up toward the waitress. "It's me, darl..." His voice trailed off in shock as his mouth dropped open. He knocked over his and Rick's cups of coffee as he pushed himself to his feet and scooped the waitress into his arms. "Sarah!" He swung her in a dizzying circle before setting her back on her feet and giving her a firm kiss on the lips. "When did you get back to town? How have you been? How's college going?"_

_Sarah laughed softly as she hugged Shane tight. She held up her left hand so that he could see the ring she wore on her third finger. "I put college on hold since I got married instead." She stretched up onto her toes and kissed him on the cheek. "We've only been living here for about three months." Her eyes studied his. "What about you? Are you married yet? Do you have any children?" She smiled. "I can see you realized your dream of becoming a police officer."_

_Shane shook his head, swallowing hard against the lump in his throat as his mind replayed the words she had spoken to him on the last day they had been together. The words that had promised he would be the only man she would ever love. "No," he whispered. "I'm not married." Not trusting himself to say anything else, he pushed past her and went outside to the police cruiser to wait for Rick to come outside._

"Careful," Rick whispered, cautioning his best friend in a teasing voice as he sat down on the opposite side of the picnic table across from Shane. He smirked as Shane looked over at him. "If anyone else caught that dopey look on your face, they might think you're going soft."

Shane returned Rick's smirk, reaching across the picnic table to punch his friend on the shoulder in a friendly gesture. "Go to hell," he retorted. He accepted the bottle of water Rick handed him. "How's Carl doing?"

Rick chuckled. "He's getting stronger every day." He glanced over toward his wife and son and sighed. "He wants to learn to shoot, but Lori wants him as far away from guns as possible." He looked back at Shane. "What do you think?"

"I think Carl deserves the opportunity to learn to defend himself and those he loves," Shane answered. "If the world hadn't changed, I'd say make him wait at least another year. Unfortunately, none of us have that luxury anymore. Lori's gonna have to realize that she can't keep Carl a baby."

Rick sighed again, not missing the sadness emanating from his best friend. He wanted to do something to keep the man's mind off of whatever was bothering him, knowing that Shane wouldn't talk about whatever it was that was bothering him until he was good and ready. The only one who had ever been able to push Shane into talking was Sarah, and there was no telling where the woman was now. The last time Rick had seen her was at the diner thirteen years before. "Would you teach Carl, and anyone else who wants to learn, the proper way to handle guns while I continue the search for Sophia?"

Shane nodded as he took a drink of water from the bottle Rick had brought him. "I'll find a place on the property to set up a shooting range and find out who wants to learn."

~C~

Alexis Robertson moved carefully through the trees in the woods, making sure to keep her trail concealed. She didn't want to take any chances that her dad or his friends would be able to follow her now that she had successfully slipped away from them. She kept moving at a steady pace, killing any of the dead ones that crossed her path and losing track of the time as she forced herself to keep moving. She was determined to put as much distance between herself and her dad and his friends as she could.

Shane searched the ground for tracks as he walked through the woods. He had spent the past three days showing Carl and several of the others who were staying at the Greene Farm how to disassemble, clean, reassemble, and shoot various types of guns. He was pleased with the progress most of them were making, but he had wanted a day off to himself. He had talked to Rick and switched places with him for the day. Rick was handling things at their make-shift shooting range while Shane and Daryl searched for Sophia Peltier. The little girl had run off from the group during an attack by walkers and had been missing for almost a week now.

Alexis's vision dimmed as she stumbled over a thick limb and fell down a sharp incline. She could feel sticks and stones hitting against her body as she rolled down the incline, landing in a heap at the bottom of a ravine. She groaned as she rolled over and pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, glancing up at the top of the incline she had come down and knowing she had no other choice. She dug her fingers deep into the earth of the incline and slowly began pulling herself up the ridge.

Daryl Dixon reigned in the horse he was riding as he heard a noise up ahead. He pulled the strap of his crossbow down his arm and fixed an arrow in place just in time to see the walker stumble onto the path just ahead of him. He watched as it grunted and began to push itself to its feet, obviously hearing and scenting the horse he was on. He didn't give the thing time to take a step. As soon as it straightened up, he pulled the trigger on the crossbow. Unfortunately, the horse spooked at the same time and reared up onto its hind legs. Daryl yelled as he slid off the horse's back and landed on his ass on the path behind it.

Alexis screamed as a hot, searing pain went through her left shoulder. She fell back down to her knees as warm blood ran down her arm and body. She glanced over at the man who was getting back to his feet, her eyes crossing as she tried to keep him in focus. She clenched her hands into fists, preparing herself to fight.

Daryl pushed himself to his feet and kept his crossbow aimed at the walker as he reached for another arrow. He stopped when he realized the walker wasn't trying to attack him. In fact, he would swear he saw fear in its eyes. Suddenly feeling sick to his stomach, he realized it wasn't a walker. He had shot a teenage girl. "Oh, god," he whispered. He moved a little closer. "What's your name?" he asked her.

Alexis narrowed her eyes up at the man. "Go to hell," she responded. She shoved him back when he moved close enough to touch her.

Daryl's eyes widened in shock at the strength the teenager possessed. He hadn't been expecting it and had to stumble a step or two to keep himself from falling down. "I'm not going to hurt you, damn it," he told her. "I thought you were a walker." He sighed. "You better be damn glad the horse got spooked. Otherwise, you'd be dead. I don't usually miss." He nodded toward the arrow. "I need to get that outta you. You can't walk around with an arrow sticking out of your shoulder."

"Go to hell," Alexis repeated. She pushed herself to her feet and backed a couple of more steps away from him. "I don't need your damn help." She turned away from the man and began walking away, passing out after a few steps and hitting the ground hard as she collapsed.

"Damn it," Daryl muttered. He slipped his arm back through the strap of his crossbow, angling it across his back as he hurried over to the teenager. He scooped her into his arms and carried her back to the horse, laying her across its back just behind its neck. He kept one hand on her back to steady her as he swung up onto the back of the horse himself. He kicked the horse into gear and headed back to the farm. Once the house came into view, he glanced down at the girl and murmured. "Welcome to Greene Farm."


	2. Chapter 2

Glenn Rhee and Maggie Greene were enjoying some private time on the edge of the Greene Farm when they saw Daryl Dixon riding onto the property as if he was being chased by the devil himself. They came hurrying over as Daryl reigned the horse to a stop in front of the farm house. "What happened?" Glenn asked. He spotted the girl laying across the horse and his eyes widened. "Who's that?"

"I have no idea," Daryl answered as he slid off the horse and looked around. He saw Lori and Carol over at the picnic table in the yard. It looked like they were cutting up vegetables and getting things prepared for dinner. Dale was sitting up on top of his RV, keeping an eye out for any signs of danger, and it looked like Andrea had decided to go off looking for Sophia, too, instead of sticking around the farm as Rick had instructed her. He shook his head as he reached up to pull the girl's unconscious body into his arms. "I found her while I was searching for Sophia. Thought she was a walker and shot her."

Glenn's eyes widened as he saw the location of the arrow. "You missed?" He questioned in shock. He turned and stared at Daryl. "You /never/ miss." He looked over at Maggie, shaking his head. "Daryl never misses. It just doesn't happen."

Maggie smirked, glancing from one man to the other. "Apparently it does."

Daryl growled as he shifted the girl carefully in his arms. "Watch it, Chinaman. The horse got spooked as I was shooting, and it's a damn good thing. It saved her life." He looked at Maggie. "Think your dad'll help her like he did Carl?" He sighed. "I couldn't just leave her out there for the walkers to get her."

"Of course you couldn't," Glenn commented. He looked over at Maggie.

"He'll try his best," Maggie responded as she led the way into the house. She took the Daryl and the girl into a bedroom while Glenn went to get her father, Hershel. She pulled the covers back on the bed and motioned for Daryl to lay the girl down. "She looks like she's around Beth's age," she commented. "I wonder what she was doing in the woods all alone?" While they waited for Hershel, she started getting some supplies together that she knew he would need to treat the girl.

Daryl shrugged, moving back as Hershel came into the room with Patricia. He moved to the doorway, glancing over as Rick came out of the room Carl was staying in. "I didn't find Sophia, but I found a girl," he stated. "Hershel's looking at her now." He sighed, his eyes barely hiding his true feelings as he looked into Rick's eyes. "I shot her, Rick. I didn't know she wasn't a walker." He shook his head. "If that damn horse hadn't thrown me, I would have killed her."

"But you didn't," Rick commented. He looked past Daryl into the bedroom, watching as Hershel examined the girl. He leaned against the opposite side of the doorway from Daryl, crossing his arms across his chest. "It looks like you saved her instead." He glanced back at his friend. "Did she say anything before she lost consciousness?"

Daryl smirked as he nodded. "Yeah. She told me to get lost and that she didn't need any help." He chuckled under his breath as he shook his head. "The girl's got some spunk to her." He stared at the girl for a few seconds before glancing back at Rick. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say she pulled herself up out of that deep ravine about three miles south of here." He growled a little. "I didn't take time to look too good at her, but I think someone's been beating her."

"Sounds like she's lucky you shot her," Rick stated. He glanced back into the room where the girl was beginning to stir around. He nodded as he watched. "We'll make sure she's cared for." He smiled a little as he looked back over at Daryl. "It's strange how a complete stranger can work their way into your heart before you even know them, isn't it?"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Daryl answered in a growl. He crossed his arms over his chest and propped one leg up against the door frame as he kept his eyes on the girl. "I don't feel anything for her except for wondering how much more food I'm gonna have to find to keep this growing group fed." He frowned when the girl started stirring around, muttering under his breath. "She sounds like she's in pain."

Alexis groaned as she started regaining consciousness, her entire body feeling as if it was one giant knot of pain. Her left arm felt like it was on fire from her neck to her fingertips. Slowly, she began to become aware of the fact that she wasn't laying on the hard ground. Instead, she was laying on something soft. No sooner than she became aware of that fact, she began to realize there were other people around her. She could hear them talking to each other. She started struggling, trying to sit up as she finally opened her eyes.

Rick moved into the room as he saw the girl starting to fight. He took the girl's ankles into his hands, holding them firmly against the mattress to help keep her from struggling. "Let Hershel help you," he said, keeping his voice gentle as he spoke to the girl. "It'll hurt worse if you keep fighting. We mean you no harm."

Alexis kept struggling, growling as she fought against them. "Leave me alone!" she shouted. She ignored the pain she was in as she managed to punch Maggie across the jaw, jerking one leg free from Rick's grip in the process and kicking him hard enough to cause him to stumble across the floor.

Daryl hurried over to the bed and grabbed the girl's free arm and leg, growling back at her. He looked into her eyes as he pinned her down, silently asking her to trust him. "Stop it! Now!" He held her tighter, motioning for Hershel to keep working on her. "You're gonna let us help you. Whether you like it or not."

Alexis glared up at Daryl. "No one helps anyone for free, and I'm not going to pay your price!" She spit in his face. "Let me go!" She twisted her body, trying to knock off the hold they had on her. "You can't keep me here! I have to leave!" Her voice grew more frantic as she thought about staying in one place, knowing it would make it that much easier for her dad and his friends to track her down. She fought harder, looking back into Daryl's eyes, not knowing how much fear hers was showing. "You have to let me go!"

Rick came back over and helped Daryl hold the girl down. "You're not going anywhere until that arrow is out of your shoulder, and Hershel says you're healed enough to travel on your own," he informed her. "Once that happens, you'll be free to go." He held her tighter as Hershel broke the tip of the arrow before pulling it free. "Hold still!"

Maggie spit out a mouth full of blood before she came back over to the bed. She picked up the needle she had been holding. She inserted it into the inner elbow of the girl's arm, attaching the tube from an IV bag to it and hanging the bag on a stand Patricia had gotten to put it on. She glanced down at the young girl and offered her a gentle smile. "You've got a pretty good right hook," she commented.

Hershel looked at the girl as he stitched up the wounds on the front and back of her shoulder. "My name is Hershel Greene," he told her. "My daughter, Maggie, is the one you punched, and this is our friend, Patricia." He motioned toward the other woman in the room. "Won't you tell us your name?" He gently moved his hands down her body, probing for other injuries. "You've got some bruised ribs and a fractured wrist. Want to tell us what happened to you before Daryl found you?"

Rick sighed as he saw the girl wasn't going to respond to Hershel's questions. He loosened his grip on her just a little, trying to make her see that they didn't want to hurt her. "I'm Rick Grimes," he informed her. "Before all of this happened, I was a deputy with the King's County Sheriff's Department." He motioned toward Daryl with his head. "Daryl Dixon is the one who brought you here. We just want to help you. We're not going to hurt you." He sighed again. "Just tell us your name so we know what to call you."

Alexis glared from one of them to the other. "You mean he's the one who shot me and kidnapped me so you could do whatever you want with me." She started to struggle again. "I won't let you! You won't get away with this! I'll kill every last one of you!" She screamed as Hershel deftly filled a syringe and gave her a shot, falling asleep moments later.

Hershel sighed and shook his head. "I don't want to have to keep her sedated. It could end up doing more damage than good." He glanced over at Daryl and then Rick. "Someone needs to find some way to get through to this girl. If she doesn't realize we're not going to hurt her, it'll make her time here a lot more difficult. If she can't relax, she won't be able to heal very easily." He sighed again, rubbing a hand over his head and through the thinning hair on his scalp. "She's going to need lots of food, water, and rest. She's dehydrated and malnourished." He shook his head, trying not to show his tempers. "She's also been someone's punching bag for what looks like most of her life."

Daryl clenched his hands into his fists and kept them at his sides so that the others wouldn't notice. "I'll make sure she gets it," he stated. He looked from Hershel to Rick. "I'm the one who shot her. That makes her my responsibility." He stood up and started pacing the floor. "Just let me know what she needs, and I'll get it." He stopped pacing to look down at the girl. "I'll start by going hunting." He left before anyone could say anything else.

Rick shook his head as he watched Daryl leave before turning his attention back to Hershel. "Thanks for what you've done, Hershel. I know it's not easy with a group of strangers camping in your front yard and a wounded boy taking up one of your bedrooms. And now you've got another wounded stranger taking up yet another bedroom." He sighed. "You're a man with a huge heart, and we're all forever grateful."

Hershel shook his head. "I wasn't sure I liked the idea of a bunch of strangers showing up on our doorstep, especially with a bleeding kid. I hated the fact that your group was invading our home." He sighed and looked Rick in the eyes. "You've been here almost a week now, and I can't imagine this new life of ours without you in it. You and your group, including this young girl, are welcome to stay here as long as you want to."

Rick smiled at the older man. "Thanks, Hershel. That means a lot to me, and I know it will to everyone else as well." He sighed a little and glanced toward the window where the light was growing dim. "It'll be getting dark soon. I'm going to go down to the tents and wait for Shane so I can tell everyone about our newest guest at the same time. Lori and I will come back in a little while to say good night to Carl."


	3. Chapter 3

Daryl's face contorted into various expressions as he dreamed, his chin resting on top of his chest. His arms and ankles crossed as he slept in the chair next to the bed that the girl was sleeping on. His nose twitched as he shifted slightly on the chair, almost slipping off of it and onto the floor. He had come back from hunting a little after the sun had set, ate some of the dinner Carol and Lori had fixed for everyone, and then had come into the bedroom where the girl was sleeping. He had been sitting in the same chair ever since.

Alexis slowly opened her eyes, looking up at the ceiling above the bed she was laying on. She recognized the room from when she had woken up earlier to find herself surrounded by people. It had frightened her a lot more than she would ever admit, especially with all the men who had been around her. Hearing a soft snoring, she turned her head and tried not to wince. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she spotted the man who had shot her. She clenched her teeth together to keep from making any sound as she slowly pushed herself up into a sitting area. She winced as the IV in her arm pulled, biting her lower lip as she pulled the needle out of her arm.

Daryl waited until the girl was standing up before he opened one of his eyes. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked her, his voice sounding a little rough. He motioned her back toward the bed. "You're not leaving here until Hershel gives you a clean bill of health, and he's asleep. You'll have to wait until tomorrow morning when he comes in to check on you." When the girl didn't move, he growled and stood up. He scooped her into his arms before she could protest and laid her back down, covering her back up with the sheet and blanket.

Alexis frowned, staring up into Daryl's eyes as he tucked her back onto the bed. "Why are you doing this?" she asked in a soft whisper. "You shot me. Don't you want me dead?"

Daryl sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. He shook his head. "'Course I don't. I wouldn't have shot you if had realized you weren't a walker. I didn't know you were alive until it was too late." He growled a little again, glancing around as if to make sure the two of them were really alone. Once he had assured himself that no one else would see his actions, he reached out and gently brushed some of the hair away from the girl's face. "What's your name?" he questioned her quietly.

Alexis sighed, part of her surprised by the gentleness in Daryl's touch. She was even more surprised to realize that she didn't mind his touch. In fact, there was a part of her that wanted more of his touch. He seemed so much more gentle than any of the other men she had been around in her lifetime. She sighed again, looking up into his face as she whispered her reply. "My name is Alexis Robertson."

Daryl smirked down at her. "Was that so difficult?" He reached over and picked up the bottle of water he had set on the bedside table when he had come back in earlier, slipping an arm under her neck and helping her sit up a little so she could take a drink. He put the bottle back on the bedside table and turned his attention back to her. "How old are you? Are you surviving on your own?"

Alexis licked her dry lips, relishing the taste of the water as her stomach clenched around it since she hadn't had anything to eat and very little to drink in a few days. "I'm sixteen." She shrugged her shoulders, wincing at the movement and feeling the stitches pull in response. "I guess you could call it surviving," she commented. Her eyes studied his. "How long has your group been together?"

It was Daryl's turn to shrug. "A few months now, I guess. We've lost a few here and there." He frowned. "My big brother ran off after Rick handcuffed him to a roof in Atlanta." He nodded at the look he saw cross her face. "Yeah, I know. I'm probably an idiot for sticking around when I should be out looking for him. But now there's a little girl from our group missing. I can't leave until she's found."

Alexis smiled, reaching for Daryl's hand without thinking about what she was doing. Her eyes were already getting heavy again. Sleep was wanting to claim her once more. "You're a good man, Daryl Dixon," she murmured, her words slurring just a little as she drifted back off to sleep.

~C~

Shane walked over to Rick as he came back into their camp on the Greene Farm. It had been at least a couple of hours since the sun had set. "I couldn't find any sign of Sophia," he commented as he approached. He glanced around the campsite. "I didn't run into Daryl either. He's either tracking her, or he gave up earlier than I did."

"He shot a girl in the shoulder when the horse he was riding spooked," Rick responded. "He thought she was a walker." He shook his head as he glanced toward the house. "He brought her back here, and Hershel fixed her up."

"Do we know anything about her?" Shane questioned.

Rick shook his head. "Nothing except that she thinks we brought her here to hurt her." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Hershel had to sedate her." He looked over at Shane. "Someone has apparently used the girl as a punching bag her entire life." He growled a little. "She isn't that much older than Carl and Sophia. We're estimating she's around Beth's age, but we're not positive. The main things we've gotten her to say is to tell us all to go to hell."

"Sounds like a charmer," Shane commented. He stared up toward the house as he accepted the plate of food Carol brought over to him. "Thanks, Carol." He gave the woman a small smile before watching her walk away. "Maybe I should go try talking to her." He shifted from one foot to the other, spotting Daryl coming out of the house as he scooped up a forkful of vegetables.

Daryl nodded at Shane as he approached, speaking directly to Rick. "She woke up and tried to bolt, but I got her to lay back down and agree to stay until Hershel checks her over in the morning." He shook his head as he saw Carol coming over with a bottle of water, crossing his arms over his chest as he stood there with the other two men.

Rick rubbed his hand over his face. "At least you were able to keep her calm this time. Still wish we knew her name and if she's with a group of any kind."

"Her name's Alexis Robertson, and she says she's on her own," Daryl answered. He didn't quite meet Rick's eyes. "We chatted a little bit before she fell back asleep." He shook his head before either man could say anything else. "I'm gonna go up on top of the RV and keep watch for a while." He disappeared before either of them could respond.

"At least we know what to call her now," Rick commented, watching as Daryl climbed up the ladder attached to the back of the RV a few minutes before Dale climbed down it. "And we shouldn't have anything to worry about if she's been on her own. There won't be anyone looking for her."

"We should still be careful and keep a look out for anything," Shane responded. "She might not be telling the truth, especially if someone's been beating the hell out of her." He glanced back toward the house. "Alexis Robertson," he muttered. "Robertson." He sighed. "That last name sounds so familiar, but I can't place it."

Rick shrugged. "The only Robertson I can remember is Daniel Robertson. He was picked up more than once for domestic battery over in Grayson County. Lambert and I grabbed him in King County for the Grayson County Sheriff's Department a couple of times when I was pulling some extra hours." He sighed. "If that girl has anything to do with that man, she's lucky to still be alive."

Shane left Rick a few minutes later, taking his plate and fork back to Carol and accepting a bottle of water before moving into his own tent. He sat down on the pallet he had made for himself and kicked off his shoes, stretching onto his back and staring up at the ceiling of the tent. After a few minutes, he sighed and sat up. He reached into his pack and pulled out a small scrapbook, flipping carefully through the pages.

Most of the pages were taken up by photographs, ticket stubs, and receipts from the places he and Sarah had gone together while they had been dating in high school. He had kept everything in a shoe box at first, but he had decided to make the scrap book after he had seen her in the diner. He stopped on a page a little over halfway through the book, tears welling up in his eyes as he stared at the photograph before reading the letter that was pasted onto the opposite page.

_'My dearest Shane,_

_I want you to know that I will never regret what we did the last night we were together. Even though I had been wanting to wait until the two of us were married, making love with you was the best thing that has ever happened to me. It's been a little over two months, and I still can't stop thinking about what the two of us shared that night. I can still feel your hands, your touch, your lips. Even thinking about it sets my body on fire._

_I have discovered something since that night, Shane. It's something that I know I must share with you, but it breaks my heart to do so. If you haven't already looked at the picture I put with this letter, you might want to take a look now. Please don't be angry... with me or my parents. You know that we're too young to make the decision for ourselves, Shane. I want to keep our baby, the life that is growing from what the two of us shared, but it's impossible. My parents won't even let me put up an argument. They're taking me to a clinic in the morning to get an abortion. It's the only choice they're giving me._

_I hope you don't think I'm cruel by telling you I'm pregnant when there's nothing either of us can do to stop the abortion. I just feel as if you should know. You have the right to know, and I want you to know. Even though my heart is breaking, I will go into the clinic in the morning with my head held high. My parents might be killing our child, but they will never kill the love I have for you._

_I will make it back to you some day, Shane. I promise._

_Love Always,_

_Sarah'_

Shane ran his fingertips lightly across the picture that showed a glowing Sarah holding up the empty box and the test itself that had confirmed her suspicions about being pregnant a few weeks after the two of them had made love for the only time. She looked so happy in the picture... so different from the way she had looked the last time he had seen her. He sighed and shook his head. The Sarah Hurst who had been waiting on their table in the diner had not been the same Sarah Hurst he had fallen in love with. He had never seen her looking so defeated.

Shane growled, throwing the scrap book to the floor of the tent and pulling his shoes back on his feet. He had to get out of the stuffiness of the tent and go for a walk. There were too many things running around in his mind. He couldn't sit still, much less hope to get any sleep. He wasn't sure why the arrival of the teenage girl was stirring so many memories, but he was determined to do anything he could to re-bury them and keep them where they belonged. In the past.


	4. Chapter 4

Shane woke up the following morning just a few minutes after the sun began to rise. He pulled his shoes onto his feet and stretched his arms over his head as he stepped outside his tent and glanced toward the house. He debated going for another walk, or just leaving to hunt some more for Sophia, but the need for coffee was too strong. He could practically smell it percolating from where he was standing. He walked into the house.

Daryl muttered in his sleep as he shifted positions on the chair. After keeping watch for a few hours on top of the RV, he had gone back inside the house after Andrea relieved him. Finding Alexis still asleep, he had settled himself back onto the chair by the bed and fallen asleep soon after.

Alexis slowly opened her eyes and shifted around on top of the bed, trying to make herself a little more comfortable. As she rolled carefully onto her side, she saw that Daryl was again sleeping in the chair beside the bed. A small smile spread across her face as she watched him sleeping for several minutes before she heard a quiet knock on the bedroom door. She was doing her best to push herself into a sitting position when the door opened and the white haired man from the night before stepped inside the room.

"Morning, Hershel," Daryl spoke, his voice gruff from just waking up. He stretched as he sat up straighter. He glanced over toward Alexis. "You're looking a little better than you were during the night," he commented. He stood up and leaned against the wall to give Hershel room as the older man approached the bed.

Hershel smiled at the young woman as he carefully began to check her over. "How are you feeling?" he asked softly, frowning a little when he realized he still didn't know her name. He looked into her eyes, his own twinkling slightly. "It would be a lot easier if I knew what to call you," he commented.

Alexis sighed, glancing over at Daryl before looking back at Hershel. She winced as the older man probed the wound on her shoulder. "My name is Alexis," she answered, speaking through clenched teeth. "Ow!" She frowned, cringing away from Hershel. She was expecting him to hit her for showing signs of pain. "I'm sorry," she murmured, looking away from him and hoping he wouldn't punish her too severely.

Hershel glanced over at Daryl before looking back at Alexis. "That shoulder is going to take a while to heal," he explained gently. "I'm not going to confine you to bed any longer or try to stop you from leaving if that's what you really want to do, but I am going to ask that you take things as easy as possible. You can easily re-injure yourself, or worse, if you try to overdo it." He straightened up and gave her another gentle smile before leaving the room.

Alexis stared at the closed bedroom door in shock as she realized Hershel hadn't hit her, not even once. She bit her lip as she tried to figure out what was going on. She knew she had a really hard decision to make. She was scared to stay in one place for too long, scared that her dad and his friends would find her, but she had never met people who were actually nice before... except for her mother. She felt unshed tears burning her eyes as she thought about her mother for several moments before clearing her throat and forcing herself to think about other things.

Daryl pushed himself off the wall and stepped over to the bed. "I can ask Hershel's daughters if they have an outfit you can have if you wanna change clothes or take a bath or anything." He glanced toward the window. "After that, you can come down to our camp with me, if you want. I'm sure there's plenty for breakfast."

Alexis stared at Daryl for several moments before she slowly nodded. She waited, sitting on the side of the bed, while he went to get one of the girls he had mentioned. She blushed when he came back with both of them, recognizing the dark haired one from the night before. She noticed the bruise on Maggie's face and frowned. "Sorry about that," she muttered, looking down and not meeting either of their faces.

Maggie shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I probably would have done the same thing if I had been in your situation." She smiled carefully. "You're looking a lot better." She motioned toward Beth. "This is my little sister, Beth. I think you two are probably the same age." As she spoke, she moved slowly toward the bed. "Beth brought some clothes for you to change into. I brought some Saran Wrap. I'm going to tape it on over those wounds on your shoulder so you don't get your stitches wet in the shower. Okay?"

Beth handed Alexis the clothes she had brought for her to have as Maggie worked on her shoulder. She gave her a shy smile. "I'm sixteen," she said, speaking quietly. "How old are you?"

Alexis tried not to wince as Maggie covered her wounds for her. "I'm sixteen," she responded. She sighed, glancing over at Daryl before looking back at both girls and volunteering her name. "My name is Alexis." She followed Maggie across the hall to the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind her. She turned on the water as she stepped out of her clothes, moving under the spray and closing her eyes. Nothing had ever felt as good to her as the shower did at that moment.

Maggie watched Daryl as the three of them waited in the living room for Alexis to come back out. "She's healing nicely," she commented, gauging his reaction as she spoke. "Dad said he told her she was free to do whatever she wants now."

Daryl grunted in response, chewing on one of his fingernails as he leaned against the doorway between the living room and the hall. He barely glanced over as Shane came out of the kitchen. "Alexis is awake. I'm taking her down to get her something to eat as soon as she comes out of the shower."

Shane nodded. "I heard." He held up the cup of coffee he was holding. "I was listening." He looked over at Maggie. "She's really okay?"

Maggie didn't bother to hide the disgust on her face. She didn't trust Shane at all. "She's fine. She'll be sore for a while yet, but there's no permanent damage." She turned on her heel and walked up the stairs and into her own room, shutting the door behind her.

Beth smiled as Alexis stepped out of the bathroom. "My clothes look good on you," she commented. She looked back and forth from Shane to Alexis as the other girl came to a stop beside the man. She frowned a little. "Are you two related?" she asked. "You look a /lot/ alike."

Shane stared at Alexis, refusing to see the things that Beth was talking about. He offered the girl a small smile. "I'm Shane Walsh," he said, introducing himself. "We haven't been formally introduced. I was a deputy with Rick before everything happened."

Alexis's eyes widened as she stared at Shane. Hearing his name, she gasped. Before anyone could react, he turned on her heel and hurried out of the house. She ran down the steps of the porch and kept running, with no real destination in mind. She just knew she had to get away. She had been fooling herself to think that she would be able to stay there even for a few hours.

Daryl growled and ran out the front door after Alexis. He could barely see her as he hurried down the porch steps and had to admit that he was impressed by her speed. He stopped only long enough to grab his crossbow before continuing after her.

Beth stared in shock at the open door for several seconds before glancing back at Shane. "What was /that/ all about?" she asked. "Was it something I said?"

Shane shook his head. "I think it was something I said," he muttered before he put the coffee cup in his hand down on the nearest table. Before Beth could say anything else, he left the house. He looked around for both Alexis and Daryl as he made his way back to his tent but couldn't see any sign of either one of them.

Rick spotted Shane coming out of the house and met him halfway across the lawn. "How's Alexis?" he asked. He stopped when he saw the look on his friend's face. "What's wrong?"

Shane sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know," he admitted. "Hershel gave the girl the clearance to get out of bed. Beth gave her some clothes so she could shower and clean herself up. When she came out, Beth made some stupid ass comment about me and the girl looking like we're related. I introduced myself, and she took off like a bat outta hell. Daryl took off after her."

"Related, huh?" Rick smirked, trying to lighten his friend's mood. "She wouldn't be a little female Shane Walsh, would she?" His grin widened. "If memory serves, you've had a long string of women since senior year of high school."

Shane growled. "Hell no. I was always careful." He frowned and ran his hands through his hair, motioning for Rick to follow him into his tent. "Almost always, but it's just not possible." He picked up the scrapbook from where he had dropped it the night before and handed it to Rick.

Rick was confused at first until he sat down on the pallet and began flipping through the pages. "Sarah Hurst," he murmured. "I knew you were in love with her." He smiled as he looked through the memories, stopping on the two pages with the letter and photograph that Shane had lingered over the night before. His eyes were wide and moist as he looked up at his friend. "Shane..." he whispered.

Shane couldn't meet Rick's eyes. "I told you it wasn't possible," he muttered. Suddenly, without any warning, he let out a loud yell of frustration and kicked his pack across the tent. "Mr. High and Mighty preacher man and his wife murdered our baby!" he yelled.

~C~

Daryl was surprised to discover he couldn't track Alexis by her movements. There just wasn't anything to track, almost as if the girl was a ghost. He only knew of a handful of people, including himself and his brother, who could do that. He glanced up every few feet to check the trees and see if she had decided to play monkey. Finally, he came to a complete stop and let out a frustrated growl. "You might as well come out from wherever you're hiding, Alexis. I'm not going back until we at least talk."

Alexis quietly crept up directly behind Daryl and tapped him on the back of his head. "You're a stubborn asshole," she commented when he spun around quickly. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

Daryl growled angrily, not liking the fact that she had been able to sneak up on him like that. "I wanna know why you took off like that," he stated. "And I wanna know how you learned to cover your tracks so damn well."

Alexis shrugged. "I learned from the army." She moved over to the nearest tree and sat down with her back against he trunk. She winced as she probed her shoulder and moved it in a slow circle.

"You're too young to have been in the army."

"My step-dad and his friends aren't," Alexis said, speaking bluntly. "They've trained me as an army ranger ever since my step-dad killed my mom when I was five years old. I'm more comfortable with a knife and gun than dolls and make-up."

Daryl let out a string of curses as he sat down beside her. "Is he the one who's been using you as a punching bag?"

"Among other things," Alexis muttered, not looking at him. She gave one hard shudder before regaining control of herself. "It doesn't matter. I slipped away from them, and I'm never going back. I'll survive on my own."

"You'd be a big help to our group if you stuck around," Daryl commented. "We'll protect you, and you can help protect us." He frowned for a few moments, not sure why he was doing what he was doing, and then reached over and gently turned her face toward him so he could look into her eyes. "You don't have to be alone."

Alexis stared at him for several moments before sighing and shaking her head. "I can't," she whispered.

"Why not?" Daryl asked. He sighed in frustration. "Why did you run when Shane told you who he is?" he inquired, repeating his earlier question that she had yet to answer.

"Because that man is a liar," Alexis stated, hatred burning in her eyes. "Whoever he is, he's /not/ Shane Walsh."

Daryl's eyes widened in shock. "What makes you say that?"

"Shane Walsh was a great cop, and a really good friend of my mom's. She used to tell me stories about him all the time... all about how proud he was to be a cop and all the good he did." She smiled softly. "He put a lot of bad men like my step-dad in jail and protected a lot of people like my mom."

"How do you know that's not him back at the farm?"

Alexis reached into her right boot and pulled something out of it. She caressed it for a few moments before passing it over to Daryl. "A few days before my step-dad killed my mom, she told me the truth. She said I was finally old enough to be able to remember what she was going to tell me." She sighed. "I think she knew something was going to happen to her."

Daryl held the object in his hand without looking at it. He kept his attention on her, staying silent and giving her time to tell her story.

"Mom told me that Daniel Robertson wasn't my real dad. She had only married him because she had thought he would be a good father for me." She laughed ironically. "If she only knew, she'd roll over in her grave." She shook her head and took a deep breath before continuing her story. "Shane Walsh was killed in a shoot out with my step-dad and his friends when I was three years old." She pointed toward the object she had pulled out of her boot. "That was the proof that my step-dad gave my mom to prove to her he had really killed Shane. She held on to it, and she gave it to me the night she finally told me the truth."

Daryl looked down at the object in his hand. It was a police badge with 'King County Sheriff's Department' stamped across the top of it. The name 'Walsh' was stamped across the middle, and a police identification number was stamped directly below the name. Daryl recognized it immediately. Shane had been wearing one identical to it when they had first met after the outbreak. He closed his eyes for several moments, clenching his hand around the badge. He knew he had to ask, even though he had a feeling he already knew the answer. He opened his eyes and looked back over at Alexis. "Who is Shane Walsh?"

Alexis stayed quiet for several moments. She took the badge back from him and slipped it back into her right boot before taking another deep breath and meeting Daryl's gaze. Her voice was soft as she finally answered, silent tears falling down her cheeks. "Shane Walsh was my real dad."


	5. Chapter 5

Daryl stood up and held out a hand to help Alexis to her feet. "Come on," he said. "We'll go back to camp and get you something to eat." He sighed when she didn't move and knelt down in front of her. "You have to trust someone at some point, Alexis." He frowned. "That's a lesson I'm still struggling to learn." He looked into her eyes. "Trust me."

Alexis sighed, growling in frustration as she felt tears pooling in her eyes. "I can't go back there," she whispered. She bit down hard on her lower lip, looking away from him as she tried to stop crying. "Not when there's a man there pretending to be the one man I've always wanted to meet."

Daryl reached out and turned her face back toward his. He used his thumbs to gently brush away the tears that had spilled over onto her cheeks. "What if he ain't lying?" he questioned in a soft voice. "What if your step-dad is the one who lied? Rick Grimes has known Shane Walsh since they were kids, and he says that man back at camp is Shane Walsh."

"I don't know," Alexis answered, her voice hesitant. She stared at Daryl. "What if you're right? That would mean my read dad is alive, and he doesn't want anything to do with me. If he did, he would have tried to find me. Right?" She sighed. "I'm too scared to take that chance."

Daryl's eyes searched hers. "What was your mother's name, Alexis?"

Alexis closed her eyes for several moments, thinking back to her earliest memories to remember the times her step-dad had yelled for her mother. "Sarah," she whispered. She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Her name was Sarah."

Daryl slowly stood up, pulling Alexis to her feet with him. "We're going back to camp," he stated firmly. "I'll talk to Shane, and we'll see what happens."

Alexis stayed quiet as the two of them walked back toward the farm, noticing that Daryl was keeping watch for something. "Are you looking for dead ones?" she finally asked.

"Partially," Daryl responded. "I'm looking for signs of Sophia, too."

"Who is she?"

Daryl sighed. "She's Carol's eleven year old daughter. Our group was traveling the highway, but we got stopped by a big traffic jam. Before we could decide what we were gonna do, Dale and Rick spotted a huge ass group of walkers coming toward us from the opposite direction. We all hid... amongst the bodies, under vehicles... wherever we could." He sighed, kicking at a rock. "Sophia was one of the first ones to come out of hiding, and a couple of stragglers started going after her. She freaked and ran off into the woods. Rick ran after her and found her a good hiding spot until he could kill the walkers. When we went back for her, she was gone."

"She should have stayed where she was told." Alexis shook her head. "Is that how your group ended up at the farm?"

Daryl shook his head. "Rick, Shane, and Rick's son, Carl, went looking in one direction. Me, Glenn, and T-Dog went in another. The rest stayed back at our vehicles in case Sophia found her own way back. A deer came onto the path in front of the other group, and Carl was trying to see how close he could get to it. Someone shot the deer. The bullet went clean through the deer and into Carl." He growled, not used to talking to someone so much. "Shooter was a man named Otis. He took Carl, Rick, and Shane with him to the farm where he lived. The rest of us staggered in within a day or so."

Alexis shuddered, rubbing her hands along her arms. "Did Carl die?"

"Nope." Daryl gave her a crooked smile as he looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "Hershel patched him up. You two can compare battle wounds when we get back."

Alexis surprised herself by laughing. "That's okay. Bullets hurt a lot worse than arrows." Her left hand moved down to subconsciously rub at a spot on her left thigh without her being aware she was doing it.

Daryl noticed the movement and had to consciously force himself not to growl. He already wanted to kill Daniel Robertson, and the hatred was growing with each sign of abuse he detected in Alexis.

The two of them fell into a companionable silence that made neither of them uncomfortable. Alexis was surprised to discover she actually enjoyed Daryl's company. A small smiled played around the edges of her mouth as they continued to walk, almost forgetting about Shane Walsh completely. She had never felt so relaxed before.

"What's the grin for?" Daryl asked in a gruff voice, no real heat to his tone. When Alexis merely shrugged her shoulders, he quickly brought his arm up and used his hand to pop her on the back of the head. He laughed as she glared at him. "Payback's a bitch."

Alexis growled playfully, spinning in a circle. She kicked out with her leg and knocked his legs out from under him. She looked down at him and laughed as she stood over him. "You're right. It is."

Daryl grabbed her closest leg by the calf and pulled, chuckling as she landed on her back beside him. He saw her getting ready to flip herself onto her feet and moved quickly, covering her chest with his own to keep her down.

Alexis almost started to hyperventilate until she caught the look in Daryl's eyes. She had to consciously remind herself that he was nothing like the other men she had known in her life. She grinned as she wrapped her legs around his waist and flipped them both over. Using his chest to push herself up, she crouched next to him with her hands held out, ready to keep wrestling.

Daryl stared up at her for several moments. Her face was flushed, and her eyes were dancing. He hadn't seen her looking so happy before. He moved into his own crouch, feinting to the right before swiftly grabbing her around her waist from the left.

Alexis laughed as the two of them continued wrestling, rolling around together on the ground. She couldn't remember a time when she had ever felt so free and happy before. She frowned and bit down on her lower lip as a wave of dizziness suddenly washed over her.

Daryl immediately pulled back slightly so he could look in her eyes. He was straddling her hips and had her arms pinned over her head, not quite sure how that had happened. He felt himself blushing before he could stop it. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Alexis shook her head and closed her eyes. "Maybe the wrestling match should have waited until after breakfast," she murmured. "So dizzy..."

Daryl growled as he climbed off of her. He retrieved his crossbow from where it had fallen when she had originally knocked him down and then helped her slowly sit up. "You're gonna ride on my back," he told her as he knelt beside her with his back to her. "I want you to slip your arms under mine and wrap them around my chest. Then I want you to wrap your legs around my waist."

"Okay," Alexis responded, not having the strength to argue with him. She got herself situated on his back and laid her head over on his shoulder. She closed her eyes as he used his crossbow as a crutch and got carefully to his feet, holding on to him as tight as she could.

Daryl carried his crossbow in one hand and kept his other hand wrapped around her wrists to make sure she didn't fall off as he continued their journey back to the farm. He headed straight for their campfire, letting his crossbow drop as he pulled her around his body and into his arms. He got her settled onto one of the camp chairs before looking over at Carol. "Any breakfast left?" he asked.

Carol nodded, fixing two plates and bringing them over. "You're Alexis, right?" she asked quietly. She smiled slightly. "I'm Carol." Her eyes widened as she watched the girl start shoveling food into her mouth, reaching out to stop her. She shook her head. "You'll make yourself sick if you do that." She looked into the girl's eyes. "There's plenty of food here. We're not going to let you starve."

Rick walked over and motioned for Daryl to join him a few feet away. "I'm glad you were able to convince her to come back," he commented, keeping his eyes on the girl as he spoke. "Did she tell you why she took off?"

"Yeah," Daryl responded, not volunteering any more information than that. He looked around. "Where's Shane?"

"Down at the shooting range working with Andrea, Beth, Carl, and Jimmy," Rick answered.

Daryl nodded. "Need to talk to him then I'll head out to look for Sophia." He walked away without another word, motioning for Shane to come to him when he got down to the shooting range.

"Did you find the girl?" Shane questioned as he joined Daryl at the edge of the shooting range they had set up.

"Yeah. We need to talk."

Shane frowned, not sure if he liked the tone he heard in Daryl's voice. "What about?"

Daryl chewed on his fingernails for a few moments before he responded. "How many of those badges have you had?" he finally asked.

Shane's frown deepened, but he shrugged his shoulders as he answered. "Two. My first shield was lost during a messy shoot out thirteen years ago."

Daryl sighed as his suspicions were confirmed. "Ever know anyone named Sarah?"

Shane growled, grabbing the front of Daryl's shirt and shoving him back against the nearest fence post. He pulled his fist back to hit him, but Daryl caught the swing. "Where did you hear that name?" he asked.

Daryl shook his head and motioned for the others to stay back, barely keeping his own temper under control. "From the girl," he answered. He looked into Shane's eyes. "It's her mother's name."

Shane shook his head, shoving Daryl in the chest as he stumbled back a couple of feet. "Can't be," he whispered. "It's not possible."

"She carries your first badge inside her right boot. Says her mother gave it to her when she was five. Her step-dad claimed he killed you in that shoot out."

Shane just kept shaking his head.

Daryl growled, shoving Shane back a couple of more steps. "I'm going to look for Sophia. Go talk to her. She ran this morning, because she thinks you're an impostor. She thinks the real Shane Walsh is dead."

Shane brushed Andrea away as the woman came over to try to talk to him, watching as Daryl left to search for Sophia. Without a word, he left Andrea and the others and walked back to the area of land where they had pitched their tents. He spotted Alexis sitting by herself in front of the fire and walked over to her. "Daryl says you have the badge I lost thirteen years ago."

Alexis didn't look up, keeping her eyes on the flames of the campfire. "I don't."

Shane sighed and grabbed Alexis's uninjured arm, pulling her with him as he walked into his tent. He pushed her onto his pallet and then began to dig through the outer pockets of his pack. He finally pulled out what he was looking for and passed it over to her. "I'm betting that's identical to the one in your right boot."

Alexis slowly nodded, running her fingertips lightly across the badge he had handed to her. "You really are Shane Walsh, aren't you?" she questioned softly.

Shane nodded. "If your mom is who I think she is, she's an amazing person." He swallowed hard, not quite meeting her eyes. "Is she still alive?" he questioned quietly.

Alexis shook her head, still staring at the badge. "My step-dad killed her eleven years ago when I was five." She jumped at the sound that came from Shane in response to her statement. "If you're really Shane Walsh, I have a couple of things for you. I found them hidden in my room a long time ago and have kept them with me." She reached into the front of the shirt she was wearing, grabbing the chain that was around her neck and pulling it off over her head. A man's high school class ring was attached to the chain, and she handed it over to him.

Shane stared down at his own class ring as he tried to think things through. Sarah had to have met someone not long after she had been forced to abort their baby. He had no idea what had happened to Alexis's father, but somehow within two years of the last time he had seen Sarah in that diner she had married a man who had ended up murdering her. His throat felt thick as he battled with emotions he didn't want to show while his hand closed into a fist around his ring.

Alexis reached into her left boot and pulled out a plastic pouch. "I'm not sure why I kept this," she admitted. "Maybe because it's got your name written in Mom's handwriting on it." She pulled out an envelope that had gained a yellowish tone to it over the years. "I've never opened it."

Shane took the envelope and opened it as he sat down on the pallet beside her. He pulled out the letter and began to read:

_'My Dearest Shane,_

_I'm not sure why I'm writing this letter when I know you'll never see it. Maybe I'm hoping it will alleviate some of the guilt I feel. Or maybe I hope you're looking down on me from heaven right now and can see the words I am writing to you._

_Today is the one year anniversary of your death by the hands of my husband, Daniel. I know he's a horrible man, but I can't bring myself to hate him completely. I owe him too much for that. He saved our daughter's life!_

_I went to the clinic that morning with Mom and Dad, dreading every moment and hating them for what they were forcing me to do. I had come to the decision that I would take my own life as soon as we got back home. I couldn't bear the thought of going through life without the child we had created together in it. I met Daniel that day._

_Daniel Robertson was an orderly at the clinic. He talked to me as he helped me get settled into the room and soon realized that I wasn't there by choice. Without me even asking, he helped me safely escape through the back of the clinic. I hid in his car so that he could work the rest of his shift without drawing suspicion. He was a decorated Army Ranger, and he was highly respected._

_The two of us were married within two weeks after Daniel had gotten me a fake identification so we could do it without having to get Mom and Dad's permission. It didn't take me long to figure out what kind of man Daniel really was, but by then it was too late. He was involved with drugs, gambling, prostitution, and everything else you could imagine._

_I named our daughter Alexis Shayne. One night, when she was barely a year old, I heard a strange noise and went into our living room to investigate. I watched in horror as Daniel broke the legs of a man who owed him money for drugs, unable to stop my own scream. His two best friends, Paul Douglas and Michael Brenton, quickly grabbed me. Daniel did nothing to stop them._

_That was the night the horror my life has become began. When I saw you in that diner more than a year ago, I had a few brief moments of pure joy and hope. I wanted to tell you all about Alexis, but you ran out before I could. She's so wonderful, Shane, and she looks just like you. I know you would have loved her, but you were killed less than three months after we saw each other at that diner._

_I suppose Daniel did it to show me that he was the only man I am destined to be with. He has always been jealous of you, the only man I have ever loved. Yes, Shane. I mean you. I have never loved anyone else, not even Daniel, and he knows it. No matter how many men have taken my body, Daniel has sold or given my body away more times than I can count, I have only given myself willingly to you. Even Daniel has to take it when he wants it._

_I'm rambling now, watching Alexis as she plays with the one baby doll that Daniel allows her to have. She's four years old now and growing more beautiful every day. I know I'm going to have to try and escape from here soon. I can't bear the thought of our daughter having to go through the things I have been forced to endure, but I am scared. I think Daniel knows I'm planning our escape. I don't trust the looks I see when he watches me sometimes._

_Alexis isn't old enough quite yet to remember, but I'll tell her all about her amazing father in another year. Then the two of us will escape here together. Maybe I can find Rick Grimes. I know he would take Alexis in as his own._

_I hope you can see us from heaven, Shane, and that you know we love you. We always will._

_Yours forever,_

_Sarah_

Shane felt as if he couldn't breathe as he stared at the letter for several more minutes before finally looking over at Alexis. The paper fell from his hands as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her as close as possible kissing the top of her head. "You're my daughter," he whispered in amazement. "You're my daughter." He kept repeating the words over and over as he held her, silent tears sliding down both of their faces.


	6. Chapter 6

Alexis was once more sitting alone by the campfire, staring into the flames, when Daryl came back from his search for Sophia. She glanced up when he sat down beside her and took the plate of food he handed her. "Any luck?" she questioned softly as she began to eat.

Daryl shook his head, staying silent while he ate his own meal before finally speaking. "I'm gonna borrow one of Hershel's horses in the morning so I can cover more ground." He studied her while he spoke. "Did you talk to Shane?"

Alexis slowly nodded. "He's my dad," she whispered. She looked into his eyes, studying him quietly for several moments. "You knew."

"I suspected," Daryl said, correcting her. He looked at her thoughtfully as he put his empty plate on the ground beside him and then sighed. "Finding out the truth hasn't made you happy."

Alexis opened her mouth to argue and then closed it as she shook her head. "No," she said. "It hasn't. I can't bring myself to be happy when I know I have to hurt him, Daryl."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I can't stay here." She bit her lower lip as she looked around at the group of people she was slowly getting to know and like.

"Why the hell not?" Daryl demanded to know.

Alexis looked around again before looking back at Daryl. "You and your group have a really great thing here, Daryl. It's given me hope to see that people like you really do exist." She sighed. "But my step-dad and his friends will never give up searching for me. I can't stand the thought of putting you and what you have here in danger." She closed her eyes for a few moments before opening them again. "I'm afraid I've already stayed too long."

"Bullshit!" Daryl responded with a snarl. "You can't keep running, Alexis. We can protect you from those bastards." He glanced over at Shane, who was watching the two of them with narrowed eyes as he stepped out of his tent. "Have you told your dad about them yet?"

"No!" Alexis shouted, grimacing as she followed Daryl's gaze. She knew Shane had heard her outburst and was hoping he wouldn't come over to investigate.

"Why not?" Daryl asked. "Rick and Shane need to know what to be on the lookout for." He sighed. "We could really use someone like you in the group, Alexis, and you'd be with your own family."

Alexis laughed bitterly as she stood up and walked over toward one of the fields away from everyone else, knowing Daryl would follow her. As soon as they were far enough away, she turned to face him. "You can really use someone like me, Daryl? Is that right?" Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits. "How many murderers is your group in the market for, huh? Because that's what I am." She jabbed the tip of her index finger against his chest as she looked up into his eyes. "I'm a murderer!"

"You're not a murderer, Alexis."

"No?" Alexis stared up at him. "I was eleven years old the first time I ever killed anyone, Daryl, and I've killed a total of twenty-seven people since then." She shuddered involuntarily. I can tell you exactly what each one of them looked like. I can tell you how many people were in their families that I was forcing them to leave behind." She shuddered again. "I can tell you their exact words as they pleaded with me for their lives." She swallowed hard and looked away. "Not even the drugs my step-dad and his friends forced on me have ever gotten rid of their screams. I heart them all of the time."

Daryl growled as he grabbed Alexis by the shoulders and gave her a light shake. "Look at me, Alexis." He waited until she was before he continued speaking. "What that bastard and his friends trained and forced you to do is /not/ your fault." He sighed as he wrapped his arms around her, surprised the action didn't make him cringe. "Stay," he whispered against her hair.

"Please don't tell Sha... my dad," she whispered, her voice muffled against his chest as she held onto him. She sighed with relief when he didn't say or do anything except hold her tighter, knowing it was his way of assuring her that he would let her make the decision when or if she would let her dad know about the things that had happened to her.

Daryl stayed silent as he pulled away from Alexis and turned to walk slowly back to the tents. He knew she would keep pace with him, and he knew that Shane would be watching for them. He was waiting for the inevitable confrontation he could see brewing just under the surface, and he couldn't say that he blamed Shane. He had no idea what was going on, and he had no idea what he would say to Shane when the other man finally approached him. He sighed a little, deciding he would just wait and see what happened and deal with it when it did.

Shane growled under his breath as he watched Alexis and Daryl coming back from their little trip into the field. His hands were clenched into tight fists at his sides as he fought the urge to go over and punch Daryl, afraid that he wouldn't be able to stop once he had started. He had never heard Daryl talk about any kind of relationship with a woman before, and the other man had never seemed to notice the obvious interested looks he got from Carol, but that didn't mean Daryl was a saint. He shuddered as he thought about what he might do if their situations were reversed and realized he couldn't say he wouldn't do his best to get something going with Alexis if they were. Which sounded sick to his own mind, but it was the way he was trying to logically understand where everyone stood. If Alexis was Daryl's daughter, and he was the one she was turning to for comfort instead of being her father, he would definitely act on being able to comfort her.

Alexis saw the look on Shane's face as she and Daryl walked back toward the campfire and shook her head. "He better not start anything," she muttered under her breath. She glanced over at Daryl as the two of them made themselves comfortable on the ground beside the campfire. "He's not going to be one of those overbearing, overprotective dads I've heard about. Right?"

Daryl couldn't help but chuckle, glancing over at Shane before looking back at Alexis. "Something tells me that's exactly what he's going to be." He frowned a little. "I don't think he's that happy about me monopolizing all of your time."

Alexis shrugged her shoulders. "It's not his decision who I spend my time with." She lifted her chin slightly. "I can be friends with whoever I want." She smiled to herself as the two of them fell into an easy silence, simply relaxing and enjoying each other's company. She was surprised how fully she was able to relax around Daryl, and she was equally glad that she was able to. She had never felt so comfortable around anyone, except for her mom, before.

Shane managed to stay back away from Alexis and Daryl for a couple of hours by telling Rick about everything he had found out, even showing him the letter from Sarah. He tried to listen as his best friend told him to take his time with Alexis, to give both of them a chance to adjust to being in each other's lives. He knew Rick was right, but when he walked back out of Rick's tent he couldn't make himself listen to reason. He headed straight for the campfire.

Daryl glanced over when he saw Shane approaching and sighed. He bit down on the inside of his lower lip and kept his attention on the flames as he tried to control his own temper. He and Shane continually butted heads because of their brass temperaments. He kept silent even after the other man had stopped just behind the two of them.

Shane cleared his throat, wanting to reach out and physically put some more distance between Alexis and Daryl but not wanting to do anything to upset his daughter when their relationship was so new. He knew they were both on shaky ground and unsure really yet of what the boundaries of their own relationship should be. If the world were a normal place, he knew he would be setting rules that she would have to follow and helping her decide what she wanted to do with her future. Unfortunately, the world was no longer normal. Kids as young as Carl Grimes were having to grow up and make their own decisions. He wasn't sure if it was right for him to try to set any kind of boundaries with Alexis. He sighed and cleared his throat again, finally speaking, "I fixed up a second pallet in my tent for you to sleep on."

Alexis's eyes widened slightly as she kept her attention on the flames of the campfire, swallowing hard and squeezing her hands into fists on top of her lap. She saw Daryl watching her out of the corner of his eyes and felt a little braver knowing he understood what she was feeling, knowing he knew what she was thinking. She took a deep breath and slowly nodded her head, turning to look up at Shane as he stood over her. "Thanks, Sha... Dad. I'll come to bed in a few minutes. I just want to enjoy the fire for a little longer first."

Shane nodded, looking like he wanted to say something else but wisely staying silent on the subject. "It's ready whenever you are. I'm going to bed. I want to get an early start in the morning." He leaned over and kissed the top of Alexis's head, nodding at Daryl before turning around and walking back over to his tent. He looked back at the two of them one more time before slipping inside the tent. He quickly kicked off his shoes and stretched out on his back on top of his pallet, trying not to look over at the empty pallet on the other side of the tent. He knew he wouldn't be sleeping until Alexis came to bed.

Daryl waited until Shane had disappeared inside of his tent before reaching over and taking Alexis's hands into his own. He slowly rubbed her hands, massaging them until he got her to relax them enough to open. He shook his head as he saw the deep nail marks in the palms of both hands that were caused by her fingernails. "Thought so," he muttered. He shook his head as he looked up at her. "That's a habit you need to break... no digging your nails into your skin." He sighed when she didn't even crack a smile. "I'm going to head to bed myself. Shane isn't the only one who wants to get an early start in the morning."

Alexis nodded as Daryl released her hands and stood to his feet, staying silent as she watched him walk over to his tent and disappear inside of it. She sighed as she turned her attention back to the campfire, trying to calm her thoughts enough that she would be able to get some sleep. She wasn't sure how much longer she stayed at the campfire, watching the flames slowly die down to embers, before she finally got up herself and walked over to Shane's tent. She knocked softly on it, waiting until she heard his voice before she unzipped it and stepped inside. She felt immense relief when she looked around the tent and saw that he had put her pallet on the opposite side of the tent from his own. Smiling a little as she sat down on her pallet, she looked over at him as she removed her boots. "Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome," Shane responded quietly, watching as she slid herself under the blanket and settled herself down to sleep for the night. With a quiet sigh, he rolled over onto his back and closed his eyes, falling asleep a few minutes later.

Alexis stared up at the top of the tent for a long time before she finally drifted off to sleep. It didn't take long for the nightmares to begin, causing her to toss and turn as she fought an internal battle with herself. She bit back a scream as she woke up, sitting up quickly and looking around. At first, she didn't remember where she was and then her eyes fell on Shane as he slept soundly on his pallet on the other side of his tent. Her breathing was heavy as she pushed her feet back into her boots and slipped out of the tent.

Daryl woke up as he heard movement outside. He reached for his crossbow, a little groggy but focused on the sounds. He crept silently toward the mouth of his tent, reaching out and inching the zipper slowly open so it wouldn't make any noise. He pushed the flaps of the tent open just as someone stopped on the other side. He breathed a sigh of relief, setting his crossbow down again as he looked up. "Alexis," he spoke in a whisper. "What are you doing here?"

Alexis frowned, looking around and biting her lip before turning her attention back to Daryl. "Can I come inside, please?" she pleaded in a quiet voice. She smiled a little as Daryl moved to the side so she had room to slip inside. "Thank you." She stood in the center of the tent, wrapping her arms around herself as she looked around.

Daryl sighed, grabbing her by the elbow and guiding her down onto his pallet. "What's wrong, Alexis?" He nodded as he studied her, figuring it out even without her answering him. "Nightmares," he stated. He almost slipped his arm around her shoulders but stopped himself. He wasn't used to the feelings he was experiencing when it came to her, and he knew Shane wasn't happy with the relationship that seemed to be developing. To be honest, he wasn't sure if he was happy about it himself. He wasn't sure what he should do. He looked down at his hands instead of reaching out to hold her the way he wanted to. "Did you tell your dad?"

Alexis shook her head. "I didn't want to wake him up." She wrapped her arms tighter around herself, unable to stop shaking. She frowned a little as she turned to face him, her eyes pleading as they searched his. "Can you hold me?" she requested softly. "Please? Just for a little while... until I can calm down enough to be able to sleep again."

Daryl took a deep breath before nodding. He laid back on the pallet before reaching out and pulling her down beside him. He reached for his blanket, wrapping it around her and tucking the edges in before slipping one arm around her shoulders and the other around her waist. He looked up at the roof of the tent to try to keep his attention focused on anything other than how good it felt to hold her.

Alexis sighed softly, smiling a little as she snuggled closer to Daryl. She laid her cheek against his bare chest and closed her eyes, letting the sound of his breathing calm her down. She loved the fact that he wasn't pushing her to talk about the nightmares that had woken her up, and she enjoyed just being able to spend time with someone without having to worry about what they were going to do to her. She loved that the two of them didn't need to talk. Before she realized what was happening, her breathing had matched his. She was completely relaxed again and was soon fast asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Shane woke up the following morning, stretching his arms over his head as he slowly sat up and glanced over toward the pallet he had made for Alexis to sleep on. He froze, frowning as he realized the pallet was empty, no one was sleeping on it. He moved quickly, pulling his shoes on and hurrying out of his tent. One glance around the grounds of Hershel's farm showed him that his daughter was nowhere in sight. "Alexis!" he called out, pulling his gun out of the holster on his belt and checking to make sure he had a full clip in it.

"Shane?" Rick asked, barely suppressing a yawn as he poked his head out of his tent. He pulled his shirt over his head as he stepped out of the tent and over to Shane's side. "What's going on?"

"Alexis is gone!" Shane shouted. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration, turning in a full circle to try to decide the best way to head out to begin searching for her.

"Has Daryl left out to look for Sophia yet?" Rick questioned, not thinking about the potential danger his question would lead to. "If not, you can have him keep an eye out for her while he's out."

Shane nodded, walking over to Daryl's tent. He didn't bother calling out or anything as he unzipped the flaps and pushed them open. He stuck his head inside, all thoughts of asking Daryl for anything flying out of his head at the sight that greeted him. He growled, moving inside and grabbing Daryl by the ankles. He pulled him unceremoniously off his pallet, punching him in the face before Daryl had a chance to fully wake up. He kept punching, not taking the time to breathe. "You son of a bitch!"

Daryl growled, throwing up his arms to try to protect his face as Shane continued to punch him. He wasn't sure, at first, exactly what was going on. Slowly, the events of the previous night came back to him, and he realized that he and Alexis had fallen asleep while he was holding her. He sighed, lowering his arms a little so he could look up at Shane. He didn't bother to try to stop his attack.

"Da... Shane!" Alexis shouted as she was woken up by the sounds. "STOP IT!" She moved, quickly getting in between the two men. She grimaced as Shane's fist connected with her cheek, bracing her hands against Daryl's chest to keep herself from falling over from the force of the swing. "Damn it," she muttered, reaching up to rub her cheek as Shane stumbled back in shock.

"Back off!" Daryl stated in warning, glaring at Shane as he sat up quickly. "Or I /will/ fight back." He ignored the other man as he pulled Alexis down onto his lap so he could examine her face. He growled as she winced in response to the gentle probing of his fingers.

Alexis pushed Daryl's hand away from her face. "I'm okay," she muttered, not meeting his eyes. She looked up at Shane. "What the /hell/ were you thinking?" she demanded to know. "You can't just go around punching people!" She ran her hands over Daryl's face and chest, ignoring the throbbing in her own face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Daryl replied. He gently slid her off of his lap so he could stand up, grabbing his shirt and pulling it quickly over his head before either of them could see his scars. "I'm gonna go see if there is any ice in the house. You're gonna need it for your face." He didn't look at Shane as he pushed past him and out of the tent. He ignored Rick's call as he walked quickly up to the house and let himself inside.

Shane stared helplessly at Alexis. "I didn't mean to hit you," he whispered. He knelt down beside her and tried to reach out to check the damage he had done.

Alexis jerked away from Shane's touch. "You meant to hit Daryl, though, didn't you?"

"Hell yes!" Shane responded before he could stop himself. "He was taking advantage of you!"

Alexis growled, clenching her hands into fists as she felt an overwhelming desire to hit Shane herself. "He was not!" She sighed and took a deep breath to try to get her temper back under control before looking at him. "I couldn't sleep last night, because of the same nightmares that have bothered me for years. You were sound asleep, and I didn't want to wake you up. I went for a walk and ended up here. Daryl was poking his head out of the flaps before I had even made the decision to stop. I came inside, and we talked. That's /it/. He didn't try a damn thing." She sighed again. "I guess we fell asleep at some point, but it doesn't matter." She narrowed her eyes. "It's not your decision who I spend my time with. If I want to spend every night in here with Daryl, I'm going to. It's /my/ choice."

Shane sighed and pulled Alexis into his arms, holding her tighter as she struggled against him. "I'm not going to apologize, Alexis, and Daryl understands. He knows why I reacted the way I did." He pulled back just far enough to be able to look into her eyes. "I know what kinds of things your step-dad put you and your mother through. I know it was worse than what your mom hinted at." He sighed again. "Daryl is a lot older than you are. I don't want you misunderstanding his concern as something else."

Alexis shivered in Shane's arms, despite her attempt to appear nonchalant. "I know how to take care of myself, Shan... Dad. I'm not a little girl." She looked away from him. "I haven't been a little girl in a really long time." She swallowed hard. "I'm not stupid enough to think that someone like Daryl would want to be anything but a friend to me, but he /does/ want to be my friend. That means more to me than you can possibly realize. I /like/ the fact that I can just stay around him and not have to talk or anything else. He seems to enjoy the quiet as much as I do."

Daryl cleared his throat as he stepped back inside the tent, not quite looking at Alexis. He nodded at Shane, passing him the ice wrapped in a dish towel he had swiped from the Greene's kitchen. He leaned over and picked up his crossbow. "I'm heading out." He glanced toward Alexis. "Don't look for me until it starts getting dark." He turned around and stepped back outside before either of them could respond, walking over to the corral where Hershel kept his horses and putting a saddle on one.

Shane kept one arm around Alexis as he pressed the cloth filled with ice against the side of her face with his free hand, frowning as she winced. "I know it hurts," he whispered. "I'm so sorry, Alexis." He stood up slowly, keeping her in his arms as he did, and carried her out of Daryl's tent and into theirs. He laid her down carefully on top of the pallet he had made for her. "Keep that ice against it. I'm going to go get you something to eat. It smells like Carol or Lori have already gotten breakfast started."

Alexis sighed as she watched Shane leave the tent, wincing again as she kept the cloth against her face. She wasn't worried about her cheek. She had been hit a lot harder in the past. She would just have to deal with the stiffness and tenderness that would be prevalent to her face for the next few days. She curled up on her side, thankful that at least Shane had hit her on the same side as her wounded shoulder so she didn't have to choose how much pain she wanted to be in by laying on one of them. She closed her eyes and tried not to think about anything.

Rick stepped over to Shane as the two of them watched Carol and Lori finishing up breakfast. "What the hell happened, Shane?" he asked.

Shane grimaced. "I lost it and attacked Daryl. Alexis got in between us, and I punched her before I realized she was there." He growled, running his fingers through his hair. "I punched my daughter, Rick!"

Rick groaned. "Is she okay? Is Daryl?"

Shane frowned. "Daryl's gone off to search for Sophia, and Alexis is acting like it's nothing to be smacked around." He sighed. "I got her settled onto her pallet with the thing of ice Daryl got for her before he took off." He looked at Rick, torment in his eyes. "How could I have hit her after everything her step-dad has put her through?"

Rick sighed. "You were angry, Shane, and taking out your frustration on Daryl. I'm not saying it wasn't your fault, but she shouldn't have tried to get between the two of you. It was bad timing for both of you." He grabbed two of the plates the women had fixed and passed them over to Shane. "Go eat breakfast with her. Talk to her. The two of you are going to have to learn to talk to each other."

Shane nodded his agreement, taking the plates and heading back into his tent. He sighed when he saw that Alexis was facing away from him. "Alexis? Are you awake?"

Alexis sighed, rolling over carefully to look at him. "Yeah," she responded quietly. She slowly sat up, setting the cloth down on the floor of the tent and taking the plate of food he offered her. "Thanks," she muttered. She kept her eyes on the plate as she slowly began to eat, staying silent until she was finished eating. Once she was, she put the plate down next to the cloth and looked at Shane. "If Daryl doesn't find that girl today, I'm going to start helping search for her tomorrow. Either that, or I'm going to start walking the edge of the property and making sure none of the dead ones come close."

Shane opened his mouth to protest but then sighed. "Your mom says that your step-dad was an Army Ranger. I'm assuming he taught you a few things for you to be so confident, right?"

Alexis grimaced but nodded. "He and his friends trained me well," she whispered. She cleared her throat. "And I can't just keep sitting around here and doing nothing. My shoulder is feeling a lot better, and I promise to take it easy."

Shane slowly nodded his agreement. "You show me that you know how to handle a blade and a gun, and I won't argue any time you want to go out."

Alexis breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Sh... Dad." She sighed, biting her lower lip. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I'm trying to get used to the idea of calling you 'dad'. I know it's what you want me to call you."

"I'd prefer it," Shane said in agreement, "but I know it's going to take some time for you to get used to it. You thought I was dead, and now suddenly here I am." He moved slowly over to her and knelt in front of her. "I /am/ your dad, Alexis, and I'm not going to go anywhere. I'm here for you no matter what."

Alexis smiled a little, trying not to wince as the movement pulled the sore muscles in her cheek. She reached over and gave him a hug, laying her uninjured cheek against the top of his shoulder. Her words, when she spoke again a few moments later, where so quiet they were almost inaudible. "I love you, Dad."

~C~

Daryl let out a string of curses as a snake spooked the horse he was riding, sending him tumbling down the sharp edge of a cliff. One of his own arrows was sticking straight through his side when he finally came to a stop. He growled, ripping off the sleeves of his t-shirt and using the material to stabilize the arrow the best he could. Spotting something amongst some driftwood and fallen logs, he splashed his way through the shallow water he had landed beside until he was reaching for the doll. He recognized it immediately as Sophia's.

Everything was blurry, going in and out of focus as Daryl tried to pull himself back up the hill he had fallen down. Eventually, he was laying in the edge of the water again, too dazed to be able to focus on what was going on around him. He daydreamed about his older brother, Merle, visions that didn't make a whole lot of sense to him until he realized that there was something chewing on his shoe. He growled, kicking the walker back and reaching for his crossbow.

Daryl wasn't sure exactly how he managed to climb back up the side of the cliff after killing the walkers who had come up on him, but he did it. He pulled himself to his feet and stumbled back toward the farm, the doll tucked into his belt. He barely knew what happened to him as he made his way through the trees, coming out at the far edge of the farm in one of the larger fields. His body lurched as he continued to stumble forward, thinking only of getting someone to take the damn arrow out of his side so he could get some sleep.

Andrea was on top of the RV when she spotted the walker stumbling out of the woods. She called excitedly to Rick and Shane, alerting them to what was going on. "I can get it! Don't worry!"

"No!" Rick shouted, holding his hand up toward her. "There may be others out there, and we don't want to attract them this way. We'll go out and take care of it quietly. You keep watch and make sure there aren't any others." Before she could respond, he and Shane hurried out into the field with T-Dog.

Andrea stretched out on top of her stomach and kept watch through the scope on top of the rifle she held in her hands. She fidgeted, unable to stay still when she knew she could easily take care of the problem. She ignored Rick's instructions, aiming as the three men got closer to the walker and pulling the trigger.

"No!" Rick shouted, looking furiously back toward the RV. He hurried forward as Shane shouted that it was Daryl.

"What the /hell/ did you do?!" Alexis shouted as she looked up at the top of the RV to glare at the older woman. She growled as she rushed into the field to help the three men bring Daryl into the house. "Hershel!" she called out as she held open doors and paced the floor as Rick and Shane got Daryl settled onto the same bed she had been put on. She looked at Shane, her eyes full of fear and concern. "Did she kill him? Is he dead?"

Shane shook his head as he stepped over and pulled Alexis into his arms. "Bullet grazed his temple, but he's got an arrow sticking through his side and looks like he's busted up a bit." He rubbed her back lightly, laying his cheek against the top of her head as Hershel and Maggie rushed into the room.

Alexis turned her head so that she could see Hershel and Maggie working while being held by her dad. She cringed as she watched them removing the arrow, instinctively reaching for her shoulder as the ghost of the pain she had felt returned. "Please let him be okay," she whispered, clinging to Shane. "He has to be okay."


	8. Chapter 8

Daryl slowly opened his eyes to find himself looking at the ceiling of one of the bedrooms inside the farmhouse. He knew immediately where he was, growling under his breath as he remembered what had happened. He started to push himself up off the bed but stopped when he caught sight of the figure that was curled up on the chair beside the bed. He winced as he moved but reached out to gently shake her by grabbing her knee. "What are you doing here?" he asked as she stirred, his voice gruff sounding from just waking up.

Alexis sat up as soon as she felt something touch her knee, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She smiled a little as she saw him. "You're awake," she murmured, ignoring his question. She moved to sit carefully on the side of the bed, pushing him back so she could check the wound in his side and the one on his temple. She glanced into his eyes before concentrating on his wounds again. "Want to tell me what happened?"

Daryl shrugged, purposefully trying to avoid looking at her. "Snake spooked the horse. Last time I take that damn thing out with me." He grumbled, but a part of him was trying not to smile as he remembered the first time the horse had thrown him. "Second time it's thrown me."

"I'm kind of glad it did the first time," Alexis commented quietly. She stretched out carefully beside him and rested her head against his chest, the same way they had been two nights ago when he had held her while she had calmed down from having the nightmares that plagued her. "How are you feeling?"

Daryl shrugged his shoulders, trying not to stiffen up like he usually did whenever anyone got too close to him. He slowly, cautiously, relaxed his arms and let his hands rest on her shoulders. "I've felt worse." He flinched a little when he felt her running the tip of her finger along some of his deeper scars.

Alexis shifted a little so that she could look up into his face. "Your dad?" she questioned softly, instinctively knowing who had caused the scars. "I saw your back when you went to get the ice for my face."

Daryl growled before he could stop himself but then slowly relaxed as he nodded his head. "Yeah. Guess I know at least a little of what you've been through." He moved one of his hands to gently caress the swollen part of her cheek that was still red and covered with a deep bruise. "Does it hurt?" he asked quietly.

Alexis frowned a little before she responded, unable to hide her wince as her facial muscles moved. "I've felt worse," she replied, mimicking his earlier response. She frowned again when she felt him moving, lifting her head to look him in the face. "Where do you think you're going?" she demanded.

"Down to my tent," he answered, shifting her carefully to the side so he could sit up. "I can rest there just as well as here." He stood up carefully, managing to suppress his groan of pain as the room spun crazily around him for several seconds before his equilibrium righted itself.

Before he had a chance to react, Alexis was at his side. She slipped her arm carefully around his waist and pulled his arm around her shoulders. "Let's go, tough guy," she commented, teasing him lightly as she began to lead him out of the room. She kept a firm grip on his as she helped him across the grounds of the farm and into his tent, ignoring the stares from the couple of people who saw the two of them and hoping he hadn't noticed them at all. She had a feeling he wouldn't like anyone to witness someone helping him. She got him settled onto the pallet inside of his tent and tucked his blanket around him.

Daryl bit the inside of his lower lip as Alexis fussed around him. He wasn't about to admit that he was enjoying the attention she was giving him. It just wasn't in his nature to admit it. "You don't have to do that," he commented with a grumble. "I can take care of myself."

Alexis smirked, sensing he wasn't meaning to be as gruff as he sounded. "Sure you can, you big tough guy, but I'm here to do it so why not let me?" She reached down to untie his shoes and pull them off as she spoke. She set them on the floor of the tent next to the pallet before looking at him again. "I'm going to go fix you something to eat." She stood up and left the tent before he could respond to her.

Daryl closed his eyes after Alexis left, trying to figure out exactly what it was he was feeling. He didn't like not knowing, and he especially didn't want to think about giving Shane a good reason to kick his ass. Because that's what would happen. If Shane ever came at him over something he thought happened between him and Alexis, he wouldn't fight back. He shifted a little on his pallet when he heard footsteps approaching, surprised to feel his heart beat kick into a higher gear in anticipation of Alexis returning.

Andrea cleared her throat as she slowly approached Daryl's tent and poked her head through the open flaps. "Daryl? Can I come in?"

Daryl didn't bother suppressing the growl that issued from deep inside of him. "Go away," he said with a snarl. He didn't really feel up to dealing with Andrea at the moment.

"Please, Daryl," Andrea replied, ignoring his request to leave as she stepped inside. "I just want to apologize. I thought you were a walker. I was trying to protect everyone." He reached out to touch the wound on his temple, sighing when he flinched away from her touch. "I would never hurt you intentionally," she stated.

Daryl didn't believe her last comment for a second, but he nodded his head. "Apology accepted. Now leave me alone so I can get some rest." He waited until she was almost back outside before he spoke again. "And the next time you shoot me, you best pray I'm dead."

Andrea frowned as she stepped out of the tent and came face to face with Alexis. She narrowed her eyes at the teenager. "He needs his rest," she said as she moved to block the girl's way.

Alexis glared right back at the older woman. "Don't even try to start anything with me, bitch," she responded. "I know a lot more about what he needs than you do, and if you /ever/ hurt him again I will gut you." Before the older blonde could respond, she pushed past her and into Daryl's tent.

Daryl was smirking as Alexis stepped inside. "I bet she's gonna want your blood for that threat," he commented. "Andrea likes to think she's a bad ass."

"She doesn't scare me," Alexis retorted as she sat down on the pallet beside him. She helped him carefully sit up so that he could eat the food she had brought in for him. "She's the one who needs to watch her back."

"Easy, tiger," Daryl replied, surprising himself by reaching out to ruffle her hair. "It's nice to know someone cares what happens to me," he whispered as he began to eat.

"You would do the same for me," Alexis replied with conviction, knowing she was right. Once Daryl had finished eating and had fallen asleep, she left him alone and made sure she zipped the flaps of his tent closed behind her so no one would disturb him.

Rick looked over with a sigh as he saw Alexis stepping out of Daryl's tent and motioned her to come over and join him. He put his hands on his hips as he looked down at her. "Please tell me I'm not going to have to play mediator between you and Andrea," he requested as he watched her taking care of the dishes Daryl had used.

Alexis growled under her breath. "Did the bitch come whining to you because I wouldn't let her bully me?" She sighed and shook her head. "All I did was tell her what would happen if she hurt Daryl again. I'm not going to apologize for it, and I /will/ gut her if she does it again."

"You definitely have your dad's temper," Rick remarked as he took the plate from her to dry it. "Andrea didn't mean to hurt Daryl. She was trying to protect everyone."

"Doesn't excuse what she did," Alexis said. She shook her head as she looked up at Rick. "I won't cause problems as long as she doesn't." She dried her hands on the towel and looked around the camp. "Where's Sha... Dad? He wanted to test how well I know how to use a blade and gun so I can start pulling my own weight around here."

Rick motioned toward a small hill. "He's just over that ridge at the shooting range Hershel let us set up. I'll try to have another talk with Andrea. She means well."

Alexis nodded her thanks and set off down the hill to find her dad.


End file.
